Do not be ashamed, then, of witnessing for our Lord; neither be ashamed of me, a prisoner for Christ's sake. Instead, take your part in suffering for the Good News, as God gives you the strength for it.

Because I preach the Good News, I suffer and I am even chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not in chains,

But you have followed my teaching, my conduct, and my purpose in life; you have observed my faith, my patience, my love, my endurance,

Everyone who wants to live a godly life in union with Christ Jesus will be persecuted;

No one stood by me the first time I defended myself; all deserted me. May God not count it against them!

But the Lord stayed with me and gave me strength, so that I was able to proclaim the full message for all the Gentiles to hear; and I was rescued from being sentenced to death.

And I myself will show him all that he must suffer for my sake."

But Paul and Barnabas spoke out even more boldly: "It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you. But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we will leave you and go to the Gentiles.

But the Jews stirred up the leading men of the city and the Gentile women of high social standing who worshiped God. They started a persecution against Paul and Barnabas and threw them out of their region.

Then some Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, decided to mistreat the apostles and stone them.

When the apostles learned about it, they fled to the cities of Lystra and Derbe in Lycaonia and to the surrounding territory.

But just when the seven days were about to come to an end, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul in the Temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and grabbed Paul.

(They said this because they had seen Trophimus from Ephesus with Paul in the city, and they thought that Paul had taken him into the Temple.)

The mob was trying to kill Paul, when a report was sent up to the commander of the Roman troops that all of Jerusalem was rioting.

'Go,' the Lord said to me, 'for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.' "

They were screaming, waving their clothes, and throwing dust up in the air.

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles, pray to God.

God revealed his secret plan and made it known to me. (I have written briefly about this,

In past times human beings were not told this secret, but God has revealed it now by the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets.

I was made a servant of the gospel by God's special gift, which he gave me through the working of his power.

They even tried to stop us from preaching to the Gentiles the message that would bring them salvation. In this way they have brought to completion all the sins they have always committed. And now God's anger has at last come down on them!

Do not be ashamed, then, of witnessing for our Lord; neither be ashamed of me, a prisoner for Christ's sake. Instead, take your part in suffering for the Good News, as God gives you the strength for it.

in you, my God, I trust. Save me from the shame of defeat; don't let my enemies gloat over me!

But their insults cannot hurt me because the Sovereign LORD gives me help. I brace myself to endure them. I know that I will not be disgraced,

Do not be afraid---you will not be disgraced again; you will not be humiliated. You will forget your unfaithfulness as a young wife, and your desperate loneliness as a widow.

But he answered, "What are you doing, crying like this and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be tied up in Jerusalem but even to die there for the sake of the Lord Jesus."

I have complete confidence in the gospel; it is God's power to save all who believe, first the Jews and also the Gentiles.

endurance brings God's approval, and his approval creates hope.

This hope does not disappoint us, for God has poured out his love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit, who is God's gift to us.

that the scripture speaks of: "Look, I place in Zion a stone that will make people stumble, a rock that will make them fall. But whoever believes in him will not be disappointed."

My deep desire and hope is that I shall never fail in my duty, but that at all times, and especially right now, I shall be full of courage, so that with my whole being I shall bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die.

Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. He did not give up because of the cross! On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for him, he thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and he is now seated at the right side of God's throne.

However, if you suffer because you are a Christian, don't be ashamed of it, but thank God that you bear Christ's name.

Those who know you, LORD, will trust you; you do not abandon anyone who comes to you.

The day I call to you, my enemies will be turned back. I know this: God is on my side---

Not only those things; I reckon everything as complete loss for the sake of what is so much more valuable, the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have thrown everything away; I consider it all as mere garbage, so that I may gain Christ

All I want is to know Christ and to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings and become like him in his death,

So then, those who suffer because it is God's will for them, should by their good actions trust themselves completely to their Creator, who always keeps his promise.

God is my savior; I will trust him and not be afraid. The LORD gives me power and strength; he is my savior.

The LORD is good; he protects his people in times of trouble; he takes care of those who turn to him.

and on him all peoples will put their hope."

And again, Isaiah says, "A descendant of Jesse will appear; he will come to rule the Gentiles, and they will put their hope in him."

May God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace by means of your faith in him, so that your hope will continue to grow by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Let us, then, who were the first to hope in Christ, praise God's glory!

And you also became God's people when you heard the true message, the Good News that brought you salvation. You believed in Christ, and God put his stamp of ownership on you by giving you the Holy Spirit he had promised.

He had been chosen by God before the creation of the world and was revealed in these last days for your sake.

Through him you believe in God, who raised him from death and gave him glory; and so your faith and hope are fixed on God.

I give them eternal life, and they shall never die. No one can snatch them away from me.

The Father and I are one."

He will change our weak mortal bodies and make them like his own glorious body, using that power by which he is able to bring all things under his rule.

And now he can help those who are tempted, because he himself was tempted and suffered.

And so he is able, now and always, to save those who come to God through him, because he lives forever to plead with God for them.

And it is the will of him who sent me that I should not lose any of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them all to life on the last day.

For what my Father wants is that all who see the Son and believe in him should have eternal life. And I will raise them to life on the last day."

People cannot come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me; and I will raise them to life on the last day.

And now I am coming to you; I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world. Holy Father! Keep them safe by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one just as you and I are one.

While I was with them, I kept them safe by the power of your name, the name you gave me. I protected them, and not one of them was lost, except the man who was bound to be lost---so that the scripture might come true.

I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but I do ask you to keep them safe from the Evil One.

Timothy, keep safe what has been entrusted to your care. Avoid the profane talk and foolish arguments of what some people wrongly call "Knowledge."

They are for you, who through faith are kept safe by God's power for the salvation which is ready to be revealed at the end of time.

To him who is able to keep you from falling and to bring you faultless and joyful before his glorious presence---

I place myself in your care. You will save me, LORD; you are a faithful God.

Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Father! In your hands I place my spirit!" He said this and died.

They kept on stoning Stephen as he called out to the Lord, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!"

So then, those who suffer because it is God's will for them, should by their good actions trust themselves completely to their Creator, who always keeps his promise.

May the Lord grant him his mercy on that Day! And you know very well how much he did for me in Ephesus.

And now there is waiting for me the victory prize of being put right with God, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that Day---and not only to me, but to all those who wait with love for him to appear.

When the Judgment Day comes, many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord! In your name we spoke God's message, by your name we drove out many demons and performed many miracles!'

"No one knows, however, when that day and hour will come---neither the angels in heaven nor the Son; the Father alone knows.

I assure you that on the Judgment Day God will show more mercy to Sodom than to that town!

But you, friends, are not in the darkness, and the Day should not take you by surprise like a thief.